Healthy Adult Male and Female VolunteersFREQNCT07760597
Effects of Exercise Frequency on Muscle Size and Strength in Healthy, Untrained Young Adults
A study testing 10 sessions per week of resistance training and Two sessions per week of resistance training in people with Healthy Adult Male and Female Volunteers, run by Cameron Mitchell at 1 site in Canada.
Trial summary
Resistance training (RT) is important for building and maintaining healthy muscles. An exercise frequency called "exercise snacks" involves short bursts of exercise throughout the day (~5-15 minutes), but no studies have examined a gym-based RT exercise snack program. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 19 to 39 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Healthy Adult Male and Female Volunteers
- What is being tested?
- 10 sessions per week of resistance training and Two sessions per week of resistance training
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 40 participants
- Where
- 1 siteCanada
- Study dates
- 12 Aug 2026to Jun 2027
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 19 to 39 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- Can fluently read and write in English
- Lives, works, and/or studies at or near the Gateway Health Building (where all study visits will occur)
- Willing and able to commit to 2 or 10 in-person training sessions per week for 10 continuous weeks, as well as one week of testing before the training period and one week of testing after the training period
- Has continuous access to smartphone or other device that they can use to access the Technogym app
- Answers "No" to all questions on the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology - Get Active Questonnaire (CSEP-GAQ) or has their doctor's approval to participate
Who cannot join
- Any major uncontrolled cardiovascular, muscular, metabolic, and/or neurological disorders
- Lung disease, kidney disease, or liver disease
- Current diagnosis of type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, or cancer
- Medical conditions that limit their ability to undertake strenuous physical activity
- Regular use of any medications that may affect muscle physiology or body composition (i.e. benzodiazepines, hormone replacement therapy, ADHD medication, Metformin, Ozempic)
- Participated in consistent resistance exercise training more than twice per month in the previous 12 months
Show all 13Show fewer
- Participated in consistent moderate or vigorous aerobic training more than twice per week in the previous 12 months, or planning to start consistent training in the next few months
- Significant gain or loss of body mass in the past 6 months (greater than 2 kg)
- Current smoker (including but not limited to cigarettes, e-cigarettes, or vaping)
- Body Mass Index of less than 18 kg/m2 or over 30 kg/m2
- Pregnancy or breastfeeding
- Currently taking blood thinners
- Allergic to Tegaderm medical tape (used with the activity trackers)
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
Canada1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
University of British Columbia | Gateway Health Building
Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z1
Cameron Mitchell, PhD, 604-827-2072, cameron.mitchell@ubc.ca
hdennis@student.ubc.ca
About this study
Resistance training (RT) is important for building and maintaining healthy muscles. An exercise frequency called "exercise snacks" involves short bursts of exercise throughout the day (~5-15 minutes), but no studies have examined a gym-based RT exercise snack program. The invetigators will randomize 40 participants into one of two groups for 10 weeks: the control group will complete two full-body workouts per week (standard-frequency) and the experimental group will complete 10 mini-workouts per week (high-frequency). Muscle hypertrophy (size) and strength will be measured before and after the exercise program to determine if the participants had the same or different results.
- Conditions
- Healthy Adult Male and Female Volunteers
- Being tested
- 10 sessions per week of resistance training, Two sessions per week of resistance training
- Keywords
- Exerise Snacks, Exercise Frequency, Resistance Training, Muscle Strength, Skeletal Muscle Enlargement, Exercise
- Medical subject headings
- Motor Activity
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
10 sessions per week of resistance trainingBehavioural
Full-body resistance training consisting of 10 sets per week for all major muscle groups with progressive overload in a gym-based setting. Training at an exercise frequency of 10 brief sessions per week (around 8-12 minutes per session).
Two sessions per week of resistance trainingBehavioural
Full-body resistance training consisting of 10 sets per week for all major muscle groups with progressive overload in a gym-based setting. Training at an exercise frequency of two sessions per week (around 45-60 minutes per session).
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Standard-frequency resistance training | Active comparator | Not described Receives: Behavioral: Two sessions per week of resistance training |
| High-frequency resistance training | Experimental | Not described Receives: Behavioral: 10 sessions per week of resistance training |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Change in Total Body Skeletal Muscle Mass Measured using the D3-Creatine Dilution Method
Measured: From enrolment (Week 1) to the end of the exercise training phase (Week 12)
Secondary outcomes (4)
Change in Total Body Muscle Size Measured as Cross-sectional Area using Muscle Ultrasound Imaging
Muscle ultrasound imaging will be conducted on one randomly selected side of the body (left or right) for each participant. Scans will be analyzed to determine the cross-sectional area of the following seven muscles: rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, biceps brachii, pectoralis major, latissimus dorsi, triceps brachii, and hamstring group (semitendinosus, semimembranosus, and long head of biceps femoris).
Measured: From enrolment (Week 1) to the end of the exercise training phase (Week 12)
Change in Muscle Strength Measured as the One-Repetition Maximum of Back Squat and Bench Press
One-repetition maximums will be measured using a Quantum Synchro Smith Machine.
Measured: From enrolment (Week 1) to the end of the exercise training phase (Week 12)
Change in Skeletal Muscle Power Measured at Various Relative Loads for Back Squat and Bench Press
At enrolment (Week 1), power will be measured using a Quantum Synchro Smith Machine at 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, and 80% of the participant's initial one-repetition maximum (1RM) for back squat and bench press. At the end of the exercise training phase (Week 12), if a participant's 1RM has increased by less than 25%, power will be measured at the same relative loads. If a participant's 1RM has increased by 25-49%, power will be measured at 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, and 90% of the participant's initial 1RM (in this case, 90% of the participant's initial 1RM would not exceed 80% of the participant's post-training 1RM). If a participant's 1RM has increased by 50% or greater, power will be measured at 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, and 100% of the participant's initial 1RM (in this case, 100% of the participant's initial 1RM would not exceed 80% of the participant's post-training 1RM).
Measured: From enrolment (Week 1) to the end of the exercise training phase (Week 12)
Participant Satisfaction with the Exercise Program
Participant satisfaction with the exercise program will be measured using a modified Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (subscales of "Interest/Enjoyment", "Percieved Competence", "Effort/Importance", and "Value/Usefullness").
Measured: At the end of the exercise training phase (Week 12)
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted12 Aug 2026
- Study start12 Aug 2026
- Primary completionJun 2027 (estimated)
- Study completionJun 2027 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Healthy Adult Male and Female VolunteersStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Model description
- At the beginning of the study, participants are assigned to one of two groups for the duration of the study.
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 40 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Cameron Mitchell
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor-investigator, Cameron Mitchell, University of British Columbia
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07760597
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- H26-01331
- Acronym
- FREQ
- Status last verified
- Aug 2026
- First submitted
- 7 Aug 2026
- Last updated
- 13 Aug 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No: The dataset will contain potentially identifying information (age, height, and weight) of people in a relatively small geographic area, so individual participant data will not be shared with other researchers.
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 13 Aug 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Effects of Exercise Frequency on Muscle Size and Strength in Healthy, Untrained Young Adults
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07760597
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- FREQ / H26-01331
- Conditions
- Healthy Adult Male and Female Volunteers
- Keywords
- Exerise Snacks, Exercise Frequency, Resistance Training, Muscle Strength, Skeletal Muscle Enlargement, Exercise
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 40 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Cameron MitchellUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 12 Aug 2026 (actual)
- Primary completion
- Jun 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion
- Jun 2027 (estimated)
- First posted
- 12 Aug 2026 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Resistance training (RT) is important for building and maintaining healthy muscles. An exercise frequency called "exercise snacks" involves short bursts of exercise throughout the day (~5-15 minutes), but no studies have examined a gym-based RT exercise snack program. The invetigators will randomize 40 participants into one of two groups for 10 weeks: the control group will complete two full-body workouts per week (standard-frequency) and the experimental group will complete 10 mini-workouts per week (high-frequency). Muscle hypertrophy (size) and strength will be measured before and after the exercise program to determine if the participants had the same or different results.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
- Model description
- At the beginning of the study, participants are assigned to one of two groups for the duration of the study.
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Standard-frequency resistance training | Active comparator | Behavioral: Two sessions per week of resistance training |
| High-frequency resistance training | Experimental | Behavioral: 10 sessions per week of resistance training |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 19 to 39 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (5 listed)
- Can fluently read and write in English
- Lives, works, and/or studies at or near the Gateway Health Building (where all study visits will occur)
- Willing and able to commit to 2 or 10 in-person training sessions per week for 10 continuous weeks, as well as one week of testing before the training period and one week of testing after the training period
- Has continuous access to smartphone or other device that they can use to access the Technogym app
- Answers "No" to all questions on the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology - Get Active Questonnaire (CSEP-GAQ) or has their doctor's approval to participate
Key exclusion criteria (13 listed)
- Any major uncontrolled cardiovascular, muscular, metabolic, and/or neurological disorders
- Lung disease, kidney disease, or liver disease
- Current diagnosis of type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, or cancer
- Medical conditions that limit their ability to undertake strenuous physical activity
- Regular use of any medications that may affect muscle physiology or body composition (i.e. benzodiazepines, hormone replacement therapy, ADHD medication, Metformin, Ozempic)
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| 10 sessions per week of resistance trainingFull-body resistance training consisting of 10 sets per week for all major muscle groups with progressive overload in a gym-based setting. Training at an exercise frequency of 10 brief sessions per week (around 8-12 minutes per session). | Behavioural | High-frequency resistance training |
| Two sessions per week of resistance trainingFull-body resistance training consisting of 10 sets per week for all major muscle groups with progressive overload in a gym-based setting. Training at an exercise frequency of two sessions per week (around 45-60 minutes per session). | Behavioural | Standard-frequency resistance training |
Primary outcome
Change in Total Body Skeletal Muscle Mass Measured using the D3-Creatine Dilution Method
Time frame: From enrolment (Week 1) to the end of the exercise training phase (Week 12)
4 secondary outcomes
Change in Total Body Muscle Size Measured as Cross-sectional Area using Muscle Ultrasound Imaging
Time frame: From enrolment (Week 1) to the end of the exercise training phase (Week 12)
Change in Muscle Strength Measured as the One-Repetition Maximum of Back Squat and Bench Press
Time frame: From enrolment (Week 1) to the end of the exercise training phase (Week 12)
Change in Skeletal Muscle Power Measured at Various Relative Loads for Back Squat and Bench Press
Time frame: From enrolment (Week 1) to the end of the exercise training phase (Week 12)
Participant Satisfaction with the Exercise Program
Time frame: At the end of the exercise training phase (Week 12)
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 13 Aug 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No. The dataset will contain potentially identifying information (age, height, and weight) of people in a relatively small geographic area, so individual participant data will not be shared with other researchers.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing 10 sessions per week of resistance training and Two sessions per week of resistance training in people with Healthy Adult Male and Female Volunteers, run by Cameron Mitchell at 1 site in Canada.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 5 inclusion and 13 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 13 Aug 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Canada. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Cameron Mitchell, PhD (604-827-2072, cameron.mitchell@ubc.ca), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Change in Total Body Skeletal Muscle Mass Measured using the D3-Creatine Dilution Method (time frame: From enrolment (Week 1) to the end of the exercise training phase (Week 12)). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 13 Aug 2026.